US should focus on Afghanistan, not Pakistan: Kayani

In a move that is set to further increase the tension between Pakistan and the United States, the Pakistani army has advised Washington to focus on Afghanistan and leave it alone.

Pakistan's army chief General Ashfaq Kayani told parliament's defence committee that the US should focus on stabilising Afghanistan instead of pushing it to attack militant groups in a crucial border region.

Kayani was referring to America's insistence that Pakistan should go after the Haqqani group. He said that Pakistan alone would decide if and when to launch a full-scale offensive on Islamist militants.

Then US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen had said before retiring as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that Haqqani group was a "veritable arm" of Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).Kayani also said that the US would have to think "10 times" before taking any unilateral action in Pakistan again, as it was not like Iraq or Afghâ€‹anistan.